Ancelotti eyeing Khedira to replace Gomes at Everton

Today’s rumour mill claims Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti is interested in bringing out-of-favour Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira to Goodison Park. Could he be a replacement for Andre Gomes?

This is not the first time this link with Khedira has surfaced, but today’s story directly connects Everton boss Ancelotti with a move for the former Germany international.

Khedira has fallen down the pecking order at the Turin giants and is apparently no longer in the plans of new head coach Andrea Pirlo.

The 33-year-old, who has played in the top flight in Germany, Spain and now Italy is also supposedly interested in a Premier League move to complete the set of top European leagues.

He claims that he’s always wanted to play in England and like James Rodriguez, is a player who knows and appreciates Ancelotti’s management skills.

So might the Toffees boss be considering bringing in Khedira to replace his own out-of-favour midfielder Gomes in the Blues engine room?

The Portugal player started the season reasonably well and played in the first few games of the season as the Toffees began the season with a bang, but then his form slumped again and he’s not featured for Everton recently.

Gomes is a player who has always divided opinion among supporters with some never truly convinced of his qualities. He is a player who at his best, looks very good on the eye, technically skilled and silky smooth in possession, but often lacks a final product and contributes far fewer goals and assists than you might expect given his ability.

The Portuguese has not been anywhere near as sharp and convincing since that horrendous injury against Spurs a year ago. He came back very quickly after that severe ankle break and it always seemed to me that he had perhaps returned too quickly.

In truth though, Gomes hasn’t ever replicated the best performances of his first season at Goodison Park after his initial loan move from Barcelona in 2018, which Everton made permanent the following summer.

The Juventus player Khedira is certainly very experienced having played for some of Europe’s biggest clubs and has won numerous prizes in both club and international football.

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He is a central midfielder who is solid defensively, technically sound and a fine passer of the ball. These are exactly the qualities that Ancelotti needs alongside his other midfielders in the 4-3-3 formation he is generally adopting this season.

Given his age, Khedira isn’t a long-term solution to Ancelotti’s problems finding the right balance and combination in midfield, but he could be a decent short-term addition – if the Toffees can get him for a very small fee or on a free transfer.

However, I’d rather have Isco joining in January if the Blues do have the option of one of these two players. I think most Evertonians would agree.

At any rate it does look as though Gomes’s time at Everton might not last much longer. He has rapidly fallen down the pecking order with even Gylfi Sigurdsson preferred and with the imminent return to fitness – hopefully – of Jean-Philippe Gbamin, he might find his opportunities even more severely limited.